The first decade of what’s become the Cup Series saw lots of parity with multiple drivers competing for championships. Lee Petty had the most with three (1954, 1958-59). His son Richard became the first NASCAR driver to win seven championships, the first in 1964. He also won titles in 1967, 1971-72, 1974-75 and 1979.
That was one of the most dominant stretches in NASCAR history. Richard Petty still holds the record for most Cup Series wins with 200.
One year after Richard’s final title, a new champion was crowned: Dale Earnhardt.
The North Carolina native took the mantle from Petty as the dominant force in NASCAR. Earnhardt took his first Cup Series title in 1980 and equaled Petty’s total of seven championships with titles in 1986-87, 1990-91 and 1993-94. His driving style earned him many nicknames, including ‘The Intimidator,’ ‘Ironhead’ and ‘The Man in Black,’ a nod to his black No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
But for many younger NASCAR fans, Earnhardt is only the stuff of legend. The seven-time champion died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500.
Now his kids, Kelley Earnhardt Miller and longtime NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., have partnered with Amazon Prime on a new documentary series titled ‘Earnhardt,’ covering their father’s career and the Earnhardt family.
Earnhardt Jr. and Earnhardt Miller both spoke with USA TODAY about the documentary.
‘Earnhardt’ documentary origins
NASCAR’s gone through multiple era changes since Earnhardt’s death. Another driver has equaled his championship total — Jimmie Johnson — and a new generation of drivers are in their primes, including the likes of Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
‘For me, I just wanted to introduce Dad and his greatness to a generation of fans that hadn’t seen him race or didn’t understand why he was so loved or appreciated,’ Earnhardt Jr. said.
This documentary also gives viewers a chance to understand Earnhardt’s story prior to his NASCAR career.
‘There’s been a few different documentaries and pieces done but I don’t think anything this comprehensive,’ Earnhardt Miller said. ‘A kind of human side of our dad, not the racer, not always the racer that people know. The father and the person and the friend and all that he was to people.’
What makes ‘Earnhardt’ different?
There’s no shortage of media about Earnhardt. The 2004 ESPN film ‘3: The Dale Earnhardt Story’ and 2007’s ‘Dale – The Movie’ narrated by Paul Newman are some of the other films about the NASCAR icon.
This new series takes a wider view, including touching on less positive sides of the seven-time champion. It includes a lot of candid interviews that discuss private conversations Earnhardt had with friends and other drivers.
Both of Earnhardt’s children felt it was important to be honest about how he was with them.
‘We’ve grown to understand to tell this story, Dad’s story, which has been told many, many times, to truly tell it was to be honest,’ Earnhardt Jr. said. ‘Had we not, we would be just regurgitating the same ‘seven-time champion,’ ‘won this many races,’ ‘what a great guy,’ ‘he’s amazing,’ ‘The Intimidator,’ that everybody knows and loves. But to do this project justice, we had to be honest about what it was like being around him.’
Through this documentary, the two learned more about their father. Earnhardt’s longtime friend Hank Parker Sr. recounted a conversation in which Earnhardt said he couldn’t tell his children he loved them.
‘(Parker) hangs up the phone with his son and says, ‘I love you, son,” Earnhardt Miller said. ‘And when he hangs up, my dad says ‘that’s not something I can say to my kids.”
‘For me and Kelley to hear that was incredible,’ Earnhardt Jr. said. ‘There’s a couple little nuggets of that in there with (Parker) and other people who contributed to the project that … I would’ve never believed that was what Dad said or how that went down.’
For Earnhardt Jr., it was an emotional watch to see the final two episodes of the documentary with his interviews included.
‘Reliving one of the more difficult parts of your life … having to go through that was difficult,’ Earnhardt Jr. said. ‘But I wanted at the end for there to be this really, really amazing project. For (people who) will never meet this man, this here might help you get as close as you possibly can.’
How to watch ‘Earnhardt’
‘Earnhardt’ premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, May 22. The first two episodes are included in the premiere with the final two set for release on May 29.
This coincides with NASCAR’s broadcast on the streaming service. Earnhardt Jr. will be part of Prime Video’s broadcast team calling the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend from Charlotte Motor Speedway.
‘They’re going to come at it with a fresh lens,’ Earnhardt Jr. said. ‘If you look at their broadcast of (Thursday Night Football), they have new ideas, new ways of presenting the game and experience to the fan and I think this will be very similar.’
